Bladder stones often cause a variety of problems

Problems with urination, a frequent urge to urinate, bladder pain, frequent urinary tract infections or even blood in the urine: men often only go to see a urologist when the symptoms have got out of hand and their quality of life has been greatly affected.

An ultrasound or X-ray image confirms the suspicion of a bladder stone, which can range in size from a millimetre to the size of a small orange. It is not uncommon to find a whole group of bladder stones, which all need to be fragmented individually.

A new gentle treatment procedure for bladder stones (laser lithotripsy) is available.